Electric lamp with ball switch



April 1, 1952' J. MARINO 2,591,571

ELECTRIC LAMP WITH BALL SWITCH Filed Aug. 7, 1947 IN V EN TOR. -/0$PH MAE/N0 Q47- rams/5y Patented Apr. 1, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims. 1

The present invention is directed to reading lamps, more particularly to a special design of such lamps rendering the same adapted to be attached to books or the like for illumination only on the book.

Various types of reading lamps have heretofore been known and used. In certain lamps of this character there has been provided a clamp, to which the lamp mechanism was secured, the clamp being adapted to be held in various articles. However, such structures were highly disadvantageous in that they were relatively large and bulky and had considerable weight. Because of the size thereof, they were usually attached to the headboard of a bed, a chair or the like, so that a wide area of illumination was obtained and often the illumination on the reading matter was rather poor. There has also been proposed a lamp structure for attachment to a book or the like but this had a number of disadvantages in that it was relatively large and incapable of providing light concentrated on the book or other reading matter only. Also, in order to turn the light on and off, it required manual operation and a switch, which was in many cases inconvenient. Often when a person reads in bed, he falls asleep or dozes so that the book drops from his hands and the light remains lit for long periods of time. The present invention is intended and adapted to overcome the difiiculties and disadvantages inherent in prior devices of the above mentioned type, it being among the objects of the present invention to provide a reading lamp which is capable of being attached to a book or the like and which has very little weight, is small and compact and which concentrates the light upon the reading matter.

It is also among the objects of the present invention to provide a reading lamp for books or the like which has an automatic switching arrangement such that it may be readily closed by a slight movement by the user and which when the book falls out of the readers hands, will automatically extinguish the light.

It is still further among the objects of the present invention to provide a reading lamp which is simple in construction, has relatively few parts, and may be used with any source of current.

In practicing the present invention there is provided a rigid or flexible member which is a support for the lamp, being preferably hollow and containing the wires leading to the lamp. A clamp is provided on one end of such a construction that it may be readily attached to a book and will hold the lamp against lateral or other 27.. motion relative to the book. The lamp socket is provided with a shield to direct the rays of light from the lamp only on the book. It contains a central passageway and ball adapted to shift its position into contact with the base of the lamp or into a separate chamber to break the circuit. In order to again make the circuit, it is necessary for the reader to hold the lamp for an instant in a certain specified position. After the contact is made, the lamp burns steadily without flicker- In the accompanying drawing constituting a part hereof and in which like reference characters indicate like parts.

Fig. 1 is a side elevational View of a reading lamp attached .to a book in position for use with the circuit closed, the lamp socket being shown in longitudinal cross-section;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the lamp socket in inverted position with the circuit broken, some parts being shown in section for clearness;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the clamp at the end of the flexible support;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal cross-sectional view of a modified form of lamp socket in the same position as the showing of Fig. l, and

Fig. 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

There is provided an elongated shell I havin an end closure 2 with a flexible support 3 which may be in the nature of a hollow cable attached to end 2 by fitting 4. A clamp 5 having a central member and two pairs of depending clamps 5' is secured to the free end of support 3 by fitting 6. The pair of clamps is attached to cover 1 of book 1.

A sheath 8 is threaded through support 3 and contains a pair of wires 9 and H]. Within shell I at the rear thereof is an insulating base H to which the inner ends of wires 9 and Ill are secured.

Centrally of shell I is a cylindrical guide 12 and forwardly thereof is a mounting [3 for a lamp socket I4, said mounting being out of contact with conducting guide 12. A lamp I5 is held in socket l4.

Surrounding guide I2- and frictionally engaged therewith is insulating'shell [6. Wire 9 is secured to lead I! interposed between guide l2 and shell I, the end of lead I! being in electrical contact with mounting l3. s

A cone I8 is secured to the rear of socket l4. Guide 12 has a central opening [9 with a flaring portion 20 extending outwardly in the direction of the lamp socket. The distance between cone l8 and flaring portion 20 is such that the distance is greatest towards the rear of the shell and smallest toward the front thereof. A metal ball 2| loosely held so that it may move freely is adapted to bridge the space or distance between l8 and 20. Said distance is such that ball 2| is of smaller diameter than the greater distance and is of larger diameter than the minimum distance between l8 and 20.

End 22 of guide if. is approximately at right angles to the axis of guide l2 and the entire lamp and switch arrangement. There is a flaring portion 23 extending rearwardly from opening 19 and forming a relatively large space 24 at the rear of guide IE. to wire In and the other end making electrical contact with face 22 of guide 12.

A cap 26 is secured over the forward end of shell I to cover lamp 15. It has a relatively small slot 28 on one side thereof formed by an extension or visor 27. This restricts the light emanating from lamp so that a beam 2%) falls upon book I and not on any of the surrounding area.

In the operation of the device, assuming that the ball 2| is in the position shown in Fig. 2, the reader attaches clamp 5 to the cover 1 of the book and connects wires 9 and IE to a suitable circuit (not shown). The reader then tips the arrangement until the axis of shell I is in a vertical position with the lamp facing downwardly. Ball 2| thereupon enters flaring portion 23, passes through opening 29 and into the space between cone l8 and flaring portion 20. It bridges the distance between the same, closes the circuit and lights the lamp.

In order to turn off the lamp, it is merely necessary for the reader to allow book 1 to fall into a horizontal position, whereupon ball 2| enters space 24. If the reader should fall asleep while reading, the book would naturally fall into a horizontal position or even an angular position in the opposite direction to that shown in Fig. l. The ball would fall into and remain in space 24. Even if the book and reading lamp fell on its side, ball 2i would still remain in space 2 1. If the book and lamp should fall to the floor, ball El still remains in space 2 3 and the lamp would not accidentally become lit.

In the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5, there is provided on the face of flaring portion 26, a series of longitudinal ribs 36 shown as three in number. The ribs are radially placed and the ends thereof merged respectively into the front and rear portions of surface 20. By such an arrangement, ball 2! in passing from space 24 into position to close the circuit is guided so that it passes between adjacent ribs and there is provided a three point contact between the ball, cone l8, rib and guide 12. This insures that after the circuit is closed, and the reader moves the book, there will be no flickering of the light as the three point contact insures that the circuit remain closed during the reading period.

As will be seen. from the above description of the invention, it provides a small, light, and impact structure which has so little weight that it does not become tiring to the reader in holding the book. Because the light is guided only onto the book, the lamp may be of the miniature type and still give sufiicient illumination for the purpose. Because of this, each of the parts of the mechanism may be made correspondingly small and of light weight. The automatic switch arrangement is highly advantageous in that it A lead has one end securedv 4 provides a simple structure and easy and rapid means for turning the light on and off.

While the invention has been described setting forth two specific embodiments thereof, many changes in the details of the invention may be made within the spirit of the invention. For instance, the metallic members l2 and 13 need not be completely of metal but may have a sumcient metallic facing to conduct the current and the remainder thereof may be made of a lightweight molded or plastic material. Some of the parts may be omitted or consolidated, as for example, it may be possible to mold as a single unit substantially all of the parts within the shell and the shell itself may be made integral with the other elements. Wires 9 and in may be of very fine diamete and the flexible support may be incorporated integrally with said wires in order to further provide for extreme lightness. These and other changes in the details of construction of the invention may be made within the principles herein set forth and the invention is therefore to be broadly construed and not to be limited except by the character of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In an electric lamp having a shell closed at one end, a lamp mounting in the opposite end of said shell, a cone-shaped projection extending from said mounting axially in said shell towards said closed end, a guide having throughout its length an axial central opening and fixed in said shell between said mounting and said closed end, said opening being flared toward said mounting with said cone extending into said flared portion, said opening being also flared toward said closed end, the meeting area of said flared portions constituting a cylindrical opening, said :guide terminating short of said closed end, and defining a space therebetween, the diameter of said space being greater than that of the adjacent end of said opening, said space defining a chamber having a shouldered annular wall adjacent said opening, and a rigid electrically conductive ball therein of lesser diameter than said cylindrical opening and of greater diameter than the-minimum distance between said cone andthe first named flared portion of said opening, said flared portion and said cone being of electrically conductive material so that an electrically conductive path is formed when said'ball' contacts said flared portion and cone.

2. In an electric lamp having a shell closed at one end, a lamp mounting in the opposite end. of said shell, a cone-shaped projection extending from said mounting axially in said shell towards said closed end, a guide having throughout its length .an axial central opening and fixed in said shell between said mounting and said closed end, said. opening being flared toward said mounting with said cone extending into-said flared portion, a plurality of longitudinal ribs. on said, flared portion opposite said cone, said opening being also flared toward said closed end, the meeting area of said flared portions constituting a cylindrical opening, said guide terminating short of said closed end, and defining a space therebetween, the diameter of said space being greater than that of the adjacent end .of saidopening, said space defining a chamber having a shouldered annular wall adjacent said opening and forming a right angle with the adjacent portion of said shell, anda rigid electrically conductive ball therein of lesser diameter than said cylindrical opening and of greater diameter than the minimum distance between said cone and the first named flared portion of said opening, said flared portion and said cone being of electrically conductive material so that an electrically conductive path is formed when said ball contacts said flared portion and cone.

JOSEPH MARINO.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date East May 25, 1920 Number Number Number Name Date Hobbs Feb. 8, 1938 Hobbs Jan. 14, 1941 Bear Aug. 5, 1941 Gerisch Dec. 1, 1942 Trautman June 1, 1943 Frey Dec. 14, 1943 Cohen June 5, 1945 McCarthy Aug. 14, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain May 17, 1927 Netherlands Apr. 16, 1942 

